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August 11, 2014 11:21 PM CDTAugust 12, 2014 12:11 AM CDTHigh School football roundup: Full report from the first day of fall practice around D/FW

High School football roundup: Full report from the first day of fall practice around D/FW

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Vernon Bryant/Staff Photographer

Plano East's quarterback Miles Thompson prepares to catch the ball at the start of a play during the first day of football practice at Plano East Senior High School in Plano on Monday, August 11, 2014. (Vernon Bryant/The Dallas Morning News)

When Cedar Hill finished practice around 10 a.m. Monday, it was 86 degrees. “We love this weather,” running back Aca’Cedric Ware said. “This is football weather.”

As many high school football teams started fall practices Monday, the high temperature for the Dallas area was only 95 degrees. Last year, the high temperature was 100 on the first day when all teams in the UIL’s top two classifications could practice. It was 104 in 2012 and 105 in 2011.

Despite the artificial turf at Old Eagle Stadium amplifying Monday’s temperature by 10 or 15 degrees, athletic trainer Mike Harrison had good reason to feel comfortable with Allen taking the practice field, even in the sweltering 4 p.m heat. The ice bath was at the ready, four water coolers sat at the corners of the field, and 15 student athletic trainers from Allen’s sports medicine program swarmed the sidelines, with water bottles in hand.

Harrison has 84 students — all girls — in the program, which provides help to Allen’s three full-time athletic trainers at all levels of the school’s sports. To combat the heat, two student athletic trainers are tasked with getting a pre- and post-practice weigh-in for each player every day starting Tuesday. Harrison encourages his players to drink 20 ounces of water or sports drinks for every pound lost during practice, as well as increasing their intake of water-heavy foods, such as melons or grapes.

Practicing in the afternoon, Highland Park takes water breaks every 20 minutes. Twice during practice the team leaves the field and cools off in the shade under the stands.

An estimated crowd of 4,500 got a fireworks show and cool temperatures at Prosper’s Midnight Madness practice, which lasted until 3 a.m. It was 79 when practice started about 12:30.

Cedar Hill

After winning the Class 5A Division II state championship with an offense that averaged 36 points per game, Cedar Hill wide receiver DaMarkus Lodge isn’t looking for the Longhorns to just be the best in Texas.

“This offense can be the best in the nation,” said Lodge, a Texas A&M pledge who is ranked as the fifth-best wide receiver in the nation in the Class of 2015 by Rivals.com. “We have so many weapons.”

An offense that has eight returning starters looked unstoppable late in Monday’s season-opening practice as senior quarterback Justin McMillan, an LSU pledge, connected on myriad deep and intermediate-range passes. In addition to Lodge, McMillan is now throwing to senior D’Aundrey Bradley II, a transfer from TAPPS Division III state champion First Baptist who has offers from New Mexico and New Mexico State.

In his first year on varsity, Aca’Cedric Ware ran for 1,270 yards and 11 touchdowns despite getting only 20 percent of the carries for Cedar Hill while splitting time at running back. Ware, who has committed to USC, said Monday that he expects to get 20 to 25 carries a game this season.

On defense, it will be a group effort to replace all-state lineman Xavier Washington, a Northwestern signee who had 24 sacks. Coach Joey McGuire said six or seven defensive linemen may see playing time, and some linebackers may play some defensive end.

Greg Riddle

Mansfield Timberview, Highland Park

Mansfield Timberview will be helped by the UIL’s realignment, as it dropped down a classification to the new 5A (formerly 4A) and no longer has to share a district with 2013 5A Division II state champion Cedar Hill and 5A Division I state semifinalist DeSoto.

Coming off an 8-4 season, Timberview will also get a big boost from the addition of quarterback Devin Williams, a transfer from Fort Worth Southwest. The junior threw for 3,160 yards and 34 touchdowns last season and is drawing recruiting interest from Nebraska, Arizona State and Texas.

Highland Park, meanwhile, moved up to 6A after reaching the 4A Division I state semifinals. The Scots return senior quarterback Brooks Burgin, who threw for 3,497 yards and 31 touchdowns, as well as a big offensive line that includes 6-3 center Clayton Woods and 6-8 right tackle Austin Webb.

“I think we will do fine,” Burgin said. “I realize some people think we won’t do well, but I don’t think they are correct.”

Greg Riddle, Randy Jennings

DeSoto

A week ago, DeSoto’s receiving group was already deep with players such as Kevin Thomas (committed to Kansas) and Akile Davis (BYU). But at the first day of practice, the Eagles had another FBS recruit catching passes: transfer James Proche.

The SMU pledge, who caught 40 passes for 778 yards and 11 touchdowns a year ago for Prime Prep, announced his transfer last week on his Instagram account. He made several nice catches during DeSoto’s late-morning practice, including one in which he outjumped a defender for a pass near the sideline and then landed with one foot inbounds.

On defense, DeSoto will feature stars such as defensive lineman Bryce English, who is committed to UCLA, and linebacker Chris Orr (Wisconsin). The Eagles will also have a star of sorts as their defensive coordinator: former Highland Park defensive coordinator Mark Howeth, who has helped HP, Duncanville and Denison win state titles.

Matt Wixon

Plano East

After leading his first fall practice as Plano East coach, Joey McCullough said he was pleased with how much knowledge the players retained from spring practice. It wasn’t easy for the seniors, who are adjusting to a third head coach in three years.

McCullough, a longtime Plano West assistant and the brother of Plano coach Jaydon McCullough, is replacing Randy Jackson, who left for Grapevine after one season. McCullough said the coaching “carousel” is over.

“I’m going to be here,” said the Plano East alumnus. “I’m here for the long haul.”

Plano East is young at a lot of positions, including quarterback. But the Panthers appear to have two good options: junior Miles Thompson and sophomore Miklo Smalls.

Thompson started much of last season. Smalls, the brother of former Plano East quarterbacks Riko and Mario Smalls, made an impact in the spring.

Matt Wixon

South Oak Cliff

With Lil Jon, Chief Keef and Migos blaring from the D.J.’s booth, South Oak Cliff’s first practice was exactly what coach Emmett Jones wanted to see: spirited, high-tempo and full of enthusiasm. SOC needs to hit the ground running.

After a breakout 2013 season, in which SOC won 11 games and went three rounds deep in the 4A Division I playoffs, Jones wanted to raise the bar in his team’s preparation. And he has done just that, scheduling three 6A teams — including state-title contenders Cedar Hill and DeSoto — in the first four weeks of the season.

“We’re going to shock the world,” safety Jamile Johnson said.

South Oak Cliff has one of the area’s most talented rosters, and there were double-digit FBS-caliber prospects on the field Monday. Yet an important question remains: Who’s the starting quarterback?

Juniors David Johnson and Devin McCullough split time in Monday’s passing drills. McCullough was the backup quarterback in 2013, but Johnson was the better QB in the spring, according to Jones.

Corbett Smith

Euless Trinity

Offensive left tackle Patrick Vahe stood out on the first day of practice for Euless Trinity, and not just because of his 6-3, 307-pound stature.

Vahe, a Texas pledge, led teammates in the team’s traditional Haka war dance, stuck around after Monday’s session to polish extra-point snaps and all morning let out whoops of excitement between drills.

“I want to make sure everybody is awake,” the senior said with a grin. “It is important to have fun and enthusiasm.”

One of the players Vahe will be blocking for is Tyler Natee, who moved from fullback to win the quarterback job in spring training, despite no career game experience under center. The move caused some concern for junior running back Ja’Ron Wilson. With Natee supplying the lead blocking, Wilson rushed for 1,343 yards and 21 touchdowns last year.

“At first, I didn’t like it,” Wilson said. “But he turned out to be a good quarterback.”

Randy Jennings

Southlake Carroll

Southlake Carroll plays Austin Westlake on Aug. 29 to open the season. The matchup was made during realignment last February but added a new subplot when former Carroll coach Todd Dodge moved to Westlake from Marble Falls in the spring.

“I’ve coached against friends, I’ve coached against my brother,” said eighth-year Carroll coach Hal Wasson. “Fortunately, it’s about the players on the field and not about us. But certainly everyone knows about Dragon tradition and what Coach Dodge means.”

Wasson was an assistant under Dodge, who guided Carroll to four state titles before leaving for the University of North Texas in 2007.

David McNabb

Mesquite Poteet

Mesquite Poteet linebacker Malik Jefferson, a consensus No. 1 recruit in the state, said he plans announce his college decision Dec. 19.

“That will be my last day at Poteet,” Jefferson said. “I’ll be an early [December] graduate and thought that would be a good time.”

The 6-2, 220-pound Jefferson showed up for the first day of practice with his trademark smile, impeccable conditioning and an eye toward leading Poteet on another strong playoff run. Jefferson has set three of his five official visits for Ohio State, Stanford and UCLA and is being hotly pursued by Texas A&M, Baylor, Oklahoma, Alabama and Texas.

David McNabb

Allen

It wasn’t nostalgic, but there was an air of familiarity when Allen took the practice field for the first time in the 2014 season. Familiar, as in the stamping ground.

Allen was back at “Old” Eagle Stadium, a field supplanted two seasons ago with the opening of the $60 million stadium right up Greenville Avenue.

Allen’s palatial new stadium has been closed since the spring after significant “engineering failures” were found. The two-time defending state champions won’t play a true home game in 2014 while repairs are made, instead using Plano ISD’s Kimbrough Stadium and Clark Field.

The only varsity high football game this season in Allen will be in 10 days, when Allen hosts Arlington Martin in a scrimmage at the old stadium.

Allen’s coaching staff has said consistently since May that the closure wouldn’t be a big deal to the players. That looked to be true Monday, as Allen ran through a brisk, well-organized 21/2-hour practice.

“Worrying about that, that’s going to be created more in the media than it is with this kids, the way they handle stuff,” Allen offensive coordinator Jeff Fleener said.

The team didn’t practice in the new stadium in the spring. In fact, the expansive weight room under the visitors stands hasn’t been used, nor have the weights been moved to another facility, head coach Tom Westerberg said. Instead, the team is using older weights that remained in their practice facility. Westerberg said he has been in the new stadium only four or five times since it was closed.

Corbett Smith

Denton Guyer

Quarterback Kevin Dillman, who came to Guyer in January from La Mirada, Calif., was denied a waiver request for UIL eligibility Monday morning in Austin. Dillman committed to Nebraska in April.

The native of Sweden came to the States as a freshman foreign exchange student, gained U.S. citizenship and has stayed throughout high school while his parents have remained in Sweden. He lives with a longtime family friend in Lantana, which is Guyer’s attendance zone.

He tore his Achilles tendon as a junior in California and was limited to throwing in spring drills at Guyer. Sophomore Shawn Robinson moved in after Dillman and won the starting job.

Robinson, who started last season as a freshman at Saginaw Chisholm Trail, came to Guyer when his mother, Andrea, was hired as Guyer’s girls basketball coach and his father, Othell, was brought on as a tight ends coach. Now he’s replacing two-time state championship game offensive MVP Jerrod Heard, a freshman at Texas.

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